People who show up for the testing will provide check-in information and be assessed by Centerpoint Health representatives, then directed to a specific tent, where tests will be administered by members of the National Guard, according to Stephanie Boik, Centerpoint’s quality and risk director.
“So (while) we’re open, seeing the public in our health center … they’re providing us the manpower,” Boik said. “We’re giving back to the community but they’re giving back to the community, also.”
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Testing, which is in collaboration with the Middletown Health Department, will involve a nasal test, which includes inserting a cotton swab in a patient’s nostril, not the more invasive nasopharyngeal method, in which the cotton swab is inserted beyond the patient’s nose. Appointments should only take 10 minutes.
CenterPoint is part of the testing because it is considered a federally qualified health care facility. Tests will be sent to LabCorp for processing, and results should be available in approximately 24 to 48 hours.
Pre-registration this week saw more than 70 people sign up for the expected 150 appointments, and walk-ins are welcome.
Centerpoint Health is part of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, which represents Ohio’s 56 Community Health Centers at over 400 locations, including multiple mobile units in 70 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Today’s Middletown site is part of the state’s efforts to offer pop-up sites for free testing. The similar site is set up at the CityLink Center at 800 Bank St. in Cincinnati, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Thursday this week and next week on June 23, 24 and 25.
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The increase in coronavirus testing options is a marked change from when the novel coronavirus was first detected in Ohio. Testing supplies were limited and access was rationed, heavily prioritizing patients sick enough to need hospitalization.
Now there are increased testing supplies in the state and more lab capacity, and because wait times on results have decreased, options were added for people who want a test even if they don’t have a provider’s order.
Pharmacies getting into the testing scene include CVS, which is making testing available at 1115 High Street in Hamilton from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Patients pre-register at CVS.com.
To find options for pharmacies or other Ohio private testing sites, go to coronavirus.ohio.gov and click on "Testing and Community Health Centers." Some testing sites require provider orders and most require some type of appointment scheduling. More information is available by calling the sites or going to their websites.
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Antonio Ciaccia, lobbyist with Ohio Pharmacists Association, said Ohio Medicaid announced this week that it would create a process for pharmacists to be reimbursed for administering COVID-19 testing to Medicaid patients.
He said since pharmacy locations are common and accessible, making testing more available at these sites would help with testing access.
For now, he said there’s only a handful of pharmacies with testing available and that availability is mostly based around pharmacies that were able to join a federal program funding the process.
“For the most part, access to testing at pharmacies is very, very limited and quite sporadic,” Ciaccia said.
Part of the broader access to testing has also been through community health centers, which serve patients regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status and many recently received an infusion of federal dollars for COVID-19 testing.
Gov. Mike DeWine has brought together Community Health Centers and the Ohio National Guard to expand community testing for COVID-19 to Ohio’s most vulnerable populations, said Julie DiRossi-King, chief operating officer for OACHC. To date, 20 Community Health Center/Ohio National Guard “pop-up” sites are confirmed for this month. Others are still in the planning process for June and beyond.
Locations and times of testing availability can change and interested patients can go to findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov or coronavirus.ohio.gov to find a Ohio community health center location.
“It’s best to contact the health center directly and find out what the landscape is for that specific health center,” DiRossi-King said.
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